This invention relates to fluid line systems which include quick connector couplings, and more particularly to a quick connector coupling having a pull tab tube insertion verifier to provide a tactile and visual indication that a proper connection has been made between the male and female portions of the quick connector coupling.
In automotive and other fields, quick connector couplings, which generally include a male member received and retained in a female connector body in a fluid tight relation, are often utilized to provide a fluid connection between two components or conduits, thus establishing a fluid line between the two components. Use of quick connector couplings is advantageous in that a sealed and secured fluid line may be established with minimum amount of time and expense.
A retainer, housed within the female connector body, secures the male member within the connector body. One such type of retainer includes a plurality of locking beams which extend between a radial upset formed on the male member and a radial face defined in the connector body, preventing withdrawal of the male member from the connector body. This type of retainer is prevalent in the art and has proven effective in many fluid line applications.
An improper or incomplete connection between the male member and female connector body of a quick connector coupling is an unwanted condition. A leak in the fluid system will occur at the site. Potentially dangerous consequences can result if the fluid is pressurized and flammable. Thus, a reliable and accurate means for verifying that a proper connection has been established between the male member and female connector body is desirable.
One way to check for a proper connection is to physically tug or pull on the male member in a direction away from the connector body. An improper connection is obvious if the male member withdraws from the female connector body.
Reliance on this method of connection verification has numerous disadvantages. The pulling or tugging force exerted on the male member to check for a proper connection may be insufficient to withdraw a partially connected male member from the connector body, leading to an erroneous perception of a proper connection. Another problem associated with sole reliance on physical inspection is that no indication or verification is left behind to signal to others that the coupling has in fact been inspected and has been found to be proper. Also the physical placement of the connector may make this approach impractical.
It is sometimes possible to audibly verify a proper connection. Typically, as the male member is inserted into the female connector body, an audible “click” is heard when the male member locks into place. The click results from resilient retention beams of a retainer contained within the female connector body snapping into place behind an enlarged diameter upset portion formed on the male member. This method of verification is also deficient in several respects. The click may be very quiet or inaudible, making its detection difficult. The material from which the retainer is manufactured may affect the audibility of the resulting click. Background noise in the workplace can make the task even more difficult. And, of course, an audio method of verification is inherently limited by the installer's hearing perception.
A common type of tactile or visual connection indicator is a pull tab insertion verifier. Examples of this type of visual insertion verifier are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,205 to Washizu, U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,555 to Szabo and U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,145 to Kondo et al. These prior art pull tab verifiers typically include a handle and two legs each having a latch to engage a corresponding seat defined on the female connector body. With the male member fully inserted into the female connector body, the upset of the male connector body contacts the latches of the pull tab verifier to spread the legs outward from the seats of the connector body allowing the pull tab verifier to be easily pulled from the remainder of the quick connector coupling. The removal of the pull tab from the remainder of the quick connector coupling provides a tactile and visual indication that the male member has been fully connected to the female connector.
However, these prior art pull tab verifiers may provide a false indication that the male member has been fully inserted into the female connector body if the pull tab verifier was pulled with sufficient force to move the latches out of their seats, even though the male member has not been fully inserted into the female connector body. U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,886 to Ohta et al. addressed this false indication by forming the handle with notches which decrease the wall thickness at a portion of handle. When the handle is pulled with sufficient force and the male member has not been fully inserted into the female connection, the handle will break off at the notches rather than the latches moving out of their seats. Such pull tab verifier sometimes break at the notches before the intended insertion, preventing the verifier to serve its intended purpose.
The arrangement of the present invention provides the benefit of assuring that the male member has been fully inserted into the female connector before the pull tab verifier assembly can be pulled from the remainder of the quick connector coupling while reducing unintentional separation of the handle. The arrangement of the present invention may also allow for reattachment of the handle should it be intentionally or unintentionally separated from the remainder of the pull tab verifier assembly. The arrangement of the present invention further provides the benefit of assuring that ramped lead surface, defined on the latch, receives the male member upon insertion of the male member into the connector body. This allows for a ramped surface to be formed only on the side the latch that receives the male member; thus, provides for greater structure integrity, compared to a latch having ramped surfaces formed on both sides of the latch, to prevent bending of the latch relative to the leg upon insertion of the male member into the connector body.